Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1 A wide varie-,y of sheet gasket materials have been
2 used for inc~rn~i combustion engines and the like in the
3 past. Such gaskets have been made of metal, of relatively
4 compressible materials such sheets of cork, rubber, asbestos,
or the like or of composites thereof.
6 Composite gaskets of metal and compressible materials
7 have generally been formed by clinching substantially the
8 entire abutting surfaces of the layers together or by
g joining such surfaces with adhesives. The former construc-
tion is exemplified by U. S. Patent 3,532,349 to D. E.
11 ~zernik and commonly assigned herewith. Other such con-
12 structions are shown in U. S. Patents 2,720,406 and ;-
13 2,152,630. ~hile such constructions are desirable in many
14 applications they are not readily adaptable to gaskets
wherein the compressible material is not coextensive with
the metal core and/or wherein the metal core is not
17 essentially planar.
18 Adhesively secured composite gaskets are not entirely
19 satisfactory because of the operations required to assemble
them, the frequent substantial drying and curing time of
21 the adhesives and the resulting handling problems and the
22 tendency of many adhesives to release in storage at
23 elevated temperatures and/or under high humidity conditions.
24 One type of composite gasket with which the foregoing
difficulties have been particularly evident is the one- -
26 piece cylinder head gasket for both banks of cylinders in
27 a "V" block engine as generally shown in U. S. Patent
28 3,001,518. As will be appreciated~ the use of a metal
29 body with a compressible facing adhesively secured thereon
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1 in the sealing areas wou,ld involve several manufacturing
2 difficulties. For example, stacking ur the assembled gas-
3 kets prior to the complete drying of the adhesive tends to
4 cause the compressible facing to~slip from its initial
location.
6 Accordingly it is an object of the present invention
7 to provide an improved composite gasket structure using
8 secured superimposed layers of metal and compressible
9 materials.
It is a further object of the invention to provide ;
11 such a structure which is satisfactory for use in an one- -
12 piece intake manifold gasket for both banks of cylinders
13 in a "V" block engine.
14 It is still another object of the invention to provide
such a gasket which is easy to assemble and not adversely
16 affected by normal manufacturing, storage and handling
17 methods.
18 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
19 These and other objects are provided by a composite
gasket including a selectively perforated metallic core
21 and a relatively compressible gasketing material super-
22 imposed on and mechanically attached to selected portions
23 thereof. A plurality of registered openings are provided
24 in both the core or formed pan component and the com-
pressible gasketing material. The core includes at least
26 one and preferably a plurality of ridges thereon on the
27 face thereof adjacent the compressible material, closely
28 adjacent the openings and extending completely around the
29 same. The ridges provide a particularly good seal in the
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1 area of the openings where the sealing requirements are
2 greatest.
3 The layers of the gasket are secured together by a
4 plurality of small, discrete areas of tangs formed by per-
forating the metallic sheet. These tangs are used to
6 clinch the relatively compressible layer to the metallic -
7 component and are preferably located away from the openings ~ -
8 and ridges. The clinching tangs thus positively unite the ~ ~ -
9 two portions of the gasket while being so sized and located
that they do not affect the quality of the primary seal
11 provided by the soft gasket material and t~e ridges in the
12 area of the latter.
13 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
14 While the specification concludes with claims partic~
ularly and distinctly describing the invention it is be-
16 lieved that the same will be better understood with ref-
17 erence to the following description taken in conjunction
-18 with the accompanying claims in which:
19 Figure 1 is a plan view of the metallic core or formed
metallic component for one embodiment of the present inven-
21 tion;
22 Figure 2 is an elevational view of the core or formed
23 metallic componeht Figure l;
24 Figure 3 is a partial view of the core or metallic
component of Figure 2 taken in the direction of line 3-3
26 thereon; and showing the preferred location of the clinching
27 tangs thereon;
28 Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the
29 core of Figure 1 taken along line 4-4 thereon; and
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1 Figures 5-8 are fragmentary cross-sectional views of
, ,he core of Figure 3, but including the soft gasket materia.,
- 3 taken in the direction ~f the like-numbered lines of Figure
4 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
6 Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates the formed -
7 metallic pan component, referred to hereinafter as the core,
8 for a gasket assembly of the present invention in a pre
9 ferred embodiment as an one-piece composite gasket for a
"V" bl~ck engine and more specifically for a "V-8" engine.
11 The core, designated generally by the numeral 10, includes
12 two opposed longitudinal sections 11 and 12 adapted to be
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13 clampingly and sealingly engaged between the two sides of
14 the intake manifold and the corresponding portions of the
` 15 cylinder heads. In general the two sections 11 and 12
16 will be substantially similar and only one side will there-
17 fore be described in detail.
18 Section 11 includes a plurality of apertures 13 sized
19 and arranged to provide passageways from the intake mani-
fold to the various ports in the cylinder head. An aperture
21 13a is provided on each section 11 to provide a passageway
- 22 through the gasket for registery with the conventional ex-
23 haust crossover conduits. Apertures 14 are provided for
24 the bolts used to connect the manifold to the cylinder head.
Ridges, as will hereinaf~er more fully be described
26 are provided on the metallic core around each aperture and
; 27 preferably bridging therebetween to provide a continuous
28 seal in the direction of the lateral edges-15 of the gasket..
.~ 29 A central portion 16 of the metallic body spans between
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1 the two sealing portions 11 and 12 and, in use, covers
2 the central poxtion of the upper surface of the engine
3 block. The size and shape of the portion 16 will, of
4 course, depend on the design of the engine. Typically,
the portion 16 is not coplanar with the sections 11 and
6 12 to which the compressible layer is applied, thereby
7 increasing the difficulties in assembling the overall
8 gasket. Preferably, the central portion includes a
9 stiffening means such as that provided by the stamped
transverse and longitudinal ribs 17. A transverse seal-
11 ing rib 18 is preferably provided at the longitudinal
12 extremities of the central portion 16. This rib 18
13 further stiffens the assembly and also provides a seal
14 between the intake manifold and the engine block between
lS the two cylinder heads. ~`
16 The sealing section 11 of the metallic core 10 is
17 shown in more detail (as seen looking in a direction
18 normal thereto) in Figure 3. This view also indicated the
19 locations 19 preferred for the clutch tange 20 (as seen in
Figure 8). Preferably the tangs 20 are in pairs with
21 their adjacent distal ends 21 in face to face relation-
22 ship and are stamped from the core 10 by suitable die
23 means well known in the art. Each tang 20 is generally
24 rectangular in plan view and about 0.040 inch wide and
0.060 inch long. Adjacent longitudinally aligned pairs
26 of tangs 20 are spaced from one another by a flat area
27 22 of about 0.125 inch. The transversely adjacent rows -
28 of tangs are staggered and separated by about 0.040 inch.
29 The tangs 20 are initially formed at an angle of approx-
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1 imately 80--90 witll respec~ to the adjacent portion of
2 the metallic core 10 and when the relatively compressible
3 gasket material 23 is pressed thereon the tangs are bent
4 to a final angle of approximately 15--40 thereby clinching
the layers together.
6 The tangs are located in a plurality of small discrete
7 areas 19, which are generally remote from the critical seal
8 areas in the regions of the apertures and adjacent ribs and
9 are preferably located along the outer marginal edges of
the sealing sections 11 and 12. Typically the areas 19
11 will be from about 1/4 inch to 1 inch on a side. Such an
12 arrangement of tangs provides a sufficient clinching force
13 to secure the gasket together while not interferring with
14 the seal.
A raised bead or rib is provided on the metal core
16 10, on the side thèreof adjacent the relatively compressible
17 gasket material 22, surrounding and closely adjacent each
18 aperture. Such a rib is most readily and therefore pre-
19 ferably formed by stamping the core 10. A stamped bead is
also advantageous in providing at least limited yieldability
21 and conformability. Other rib or bead providing means, for
22 example an annular grommet sandwiched between the core 10
23 and material 23, whic-h less preferred can also be employed.
24 A variety of configurations for the stamped rib can be
used depending on the function and service which each is to
26 provide. Several such rib configurations are shown in
27 Figures 5-7. Where space considerations permit, the rib
28 configuration shown in Figure 6 is preferred. In the con-
29 figuration shown, such a rib arrangement is associated with
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1 the exhaust crossover apertures l3a where, because of
2 temperature and pressure considerations such a seal is
3 particularly preferred. The preferred rib arrangemtent of
4 Figure 6 comprises a first rib 25 which extends from the
plane of the surrounding metallic sections, is convex
6 toward the sof,t gasket material 23 and is continuous about
7 and closely spaced from the aperture 13a. The second rib
8 26 is closely spaced outwardly from the rib 25,is contin-
9 uous thereabout and is convexly extending away from the
gasket material 23 and the plane of the surrounding
11 metallic sections. ~ -
12 The third rib 27 associated with aperture 13a is
13 not specific thereto, but rather is part of a single rib
14 which is convex from the soft gasket material and the
surrounding metallic sections and which spans substan-
16 tially the entire longitudinal extent of the assembly.
17 The rib 27 surrounds each of the bolt openings 14 and
18 includes a transversely extending inwardly directed por-
19 tion 27a at each end thereof. .
As shown in Figures 5 and 7 the minimum bead config-
21 uration about the apertures 13 is a single convex bead,
22 28 and 29 respectively generally corresponding to the
' 23 aforementioned bead 25. ~ -
2~ The soft gasket 23 is substantially coextensive with
the metallic sections 11 and includes corresponding aper-
26 tures therein. The combination of the overall metallic ~ -
27 structure, the beads thereon, the soft gasket 23 and the
- 28 clinching rangs 20 joining the components together while
29 not interferring with the seal at the critical areas
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1 surrounding the apertures 13 and 14 provided on ilnprG-v~d
2 gasket structures. The soft gasketing material can also
3 be applied to both surfaces o,- the core member in the
4 same manner as described if desired in any particular
application.
6 Many variations will be apparent within the spirit
7 and scope of the foregoing description.
8 What is claimed is: -
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